Everyone Has Their Secrets
by Midnight Memories
Summary: Tired of always having to serve under Tsunade, Shizune decides that she should add some secrecy into her life. When she comes across Kabuto one evening, she realizes exactly what, or rather who, her secret should be. KabutoShizune
1. So Alike, yet so Different

Title  
Everyone Has Their Secrets

Pairing  
Shizune/Kabuto

Warning  
Rated T for romance themes. Also, if you don't like the pairing, don't read.

Note  
Hn, I know I said that there would be no stories until December, but this will only be a twoshot or a threeshot… well I'm not sure. It will not go over five chapters, that's certain. I just wanted to let you all know I was alive, plus I've been dying to write a KabuShiz for months!

Dedication  
To every crazy person who enjoy this crazy pairing! If you want more, I have a KabuShiz Community you'd love to check out!

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**Chapter One: So Alike, yet so Different**

The lights danced around the room crazily, matching the beat of the heavy music that turned the room into the most sought-after bar in the Hidden Leaf Village. People danced, people drank, people passed out, people had fun. That was the sole purpose of the building. In fact, one lady seemed to be enjoying it more than anyone else.

"A round for everyone! My treat!" the blonde lady yelled, earning her some shouts of glee from the many people surrounding her.

Meanwhile, in a corner, a dark-haired woman was observing the scenery around her with a sharp eye, keeping her mouth shut. Every time a man would ask her to dance or would offer her a drink, she'd politely but firmly decline the offer. She had to keep her mind completely clear if she wanted to stop her mentor from going overboard. Again.

An hour later, the dark haired female noticed that the popular blonde seemed to be fairly drunk now. She was, in fact, flirting shamelessly with an equally drunk shinobi, who gladly returned the attention. Not liking where this was going, the sober woman pushed herself from the wall and walked proudly towards the couple.

"Excuse me," she said, rubbing her tired eyes, "but I'd like to have a word with this lady in private."

The shinobi leered a few seconds at the beautiful blonde, then muttered something about getting them both another drink and drunkenly stumbled away.

Glad for the quiet time, the dark haired woman grasped the other's arm and hissed in a rather shrill voice, "Lady Tsunade, you've had more than enough! It's time for you to head back home, you have a meeting early tomorrow morning and as the Hokage you should—"

"Oh Shizune, relax a little bit!" the woman sighed impatiently, shooting a look of regret as the man she had been flirting with. "It's some harmless fun…"

"You've had enough to drink! More than enough! Now come on, I'll walk you home!" Tsunade's subordinate scolded lightly, grabbing her arm.

Strangely, the Hokage didn't bicker as her assistant dragged her out of the bar and into the street. By the time they reached the Hokage's tower, the older woman began to groan and complain of dizziness.

The two ladies barely had time to make it to Tsunade's apartment before the blonde fell asleep on her subordinate's shoulder. Groaning, Shizune unlocked the door with the key Tsunade had given her and went to carefully lie the woman on her bed.

_'This is getting old. I'm twenty five now and she's over fifty, but I feel more like an adult guarding a rebellious teenager…'_ Shizune lamented silently to herself as she placed a few pills beside Tsunade's bed along with a glass of water for when the woman would wake up. Surely she'd be greeted by a horrible hangover, just like most mornings.

Yet Shizune had refused. She had taken a small, one bedroom apartment with a tiny bathroom and a small kitchen. Period. No fancy living room, no big tables, no expensive chandeliers. Just a simple place for a simple woman.

When Tsunade had asked her why she had turned down such an offer, Shizune had told her that such a house simply wasn't her and that she wanted her own place. The real reason, though, was that she simply wanted a break. Living so close to the Hokage would mean having to check up on her more often, since she worried a lot about her mentor.

But when her house was so far away from said woman… She had an excuse not to rush over every few minutes just to make sure the Hokage was behaving…

The weather was cold as Shizune walked, lost in her thoughts and getting angrier at herself every second. She had spent her entire teenage years following Tsunade, yet she barely got a thank you when she did so. She never had the chance to go out, to have fun on her own. Well technically, she did have the chance- it wasn't as if Tsunade never had fun. Simply Shizune had seen what could happen to a drunken woman when she wasn't supervised, so her mentor's drinking habits had kept the girl grounded and alert.

Now she was fed up with it. With herself.

_'I should go have a few drinks myself. Do something spontaneous for once…'_ Shizune sighed, knowing full well that just like every night, she wouldn't detour her route. She'd go straight home and to bed without a second wasted.

Yet Shizune couldn't bring herself to go straight home. She turned around and took the longer route, bringing her arms closer around herself. Her breath came out as little white clouds as she shivered coldly. The November months were definitely cooling the weather down.

Finally, after a few minutes, she stopped over a bridge and halted her stride, lowering her forearms to the rough wooden railing. Peeking over the edge, she looked at her reflection in the serene water. The moon projected her shadow behind herself, stretching it across the bridge while its light paled everything surrounding her.

Brushing back a wisp of dark hair, the black-eyed woman allowed herself to sigh sadly and relax, focusing on nothing but the soft ripples in the water. She stayed that way for a while, never noticing the figure that crept up on her until he was lazily leaning on the same railing as she, though his back was to the water. He stared up at the moon as its reflection caught on his glasses, making his eyes not discernable.

At first, Shizune completely ignored him. But as the minutes trickled by and neither had said a word, the woman began to seriously wonder who he was since she didn't dare to look at him from the corner of her eyes. Finally, she turned her head to look at the other person. Once his identity had clearly been imprinted in her mind, she felt a sudden rush of adrenaline shooting through her body, sending warning signals to her brain.

Yakushi Kabuto.

Sound village shinobi.

Missing-nin.

Orochimaru's assistant.

Her supposedly mortal enemy.

Even if she should jump back and take a defensive pose, Shizune remained exactly in her original pose. She didn't feel threatened from the medic nin and he didn't look much intimidated by her either.

Another few minutes passed by, though Shizune had visibly tensed up. A small smirk was now playing around Kabuto's lips as he pushed his glasses up on his nose and finally broke the silence.

"Nice weather tonight, isn't it?"

Shizune turned her head to look at him and couldn't suppress the sneer that pressed her features. "Please. Am I really to believe that you came all the way here to talk about the temperature?"

Kabuto's face remained impassive as he said softly, "Why not?"

Shizune chose to ignore him and turned her head away from his face. More time passed before she straightened up and, without a word to the Sound shinobi, started to head back to her apartment.

It wasn't unexpected to hear his voice call out to her. "Where are you going?"

"Back home," was her unhurried reply as she kept on walking.

He didn't answer immediately. A few seconds after, he called back, "Why? It's not like you have anything, or rather _anyone_ to go home to. Am I correct?"

Bitterly, Shizune halted and lowered her head. He was right, even though she wanted to deny it with all her might. Soon, the silver-haired man was beside her, his hands lazily in his pockets.

"If you're in such a hurry to get home, then, may I accompany you?"

_'Kami, why is he suddenly so nice?' _she asked herself with an audible sigh.

The medic quickly fell in steps beside her, ignoring her last comment. Actually, a few minutes later, he started another subject.

"It sucks doesn't it? To have to always be on the lookout in case your master needs something. To always be completely loyal to that one single person…"

At that point Shizune was starting to get impatient with the Snake Sannin's apprentice. Seriously impatient. "You know nothing about me!"

Kabuto kept his cool exterior as he said, "Don't get all worked up, now. I was talking about myself, but I guess that you feel the same way as I do, hm?"

"Yes," Shizune sighed, then bit her lip at how easily the information had come out. He was the enemy, she shouldn't be talking to him. Especially not about her darker feelings towards Lady Tsunade. Switching gears, she realized that maybe she could do a little bit of espionage herself. "How come you feel that way? I thought you were completely dedicated to Orochimaru?"

A small smirk appeared on Kabuto's lips as he angled his head so that the moon's reflection would catch on them and hide his eyes. "Everyone has their secrets. Most people aren't as loyal as they appear…" he stated, shooting a glance her way.

Shocked at what he was insinuating, Shizune shot him a glare before saying, "I'm loyal!"

"Then why are you talking with me right now?" he answered back quickly.

_'This guy's brain works way too quickly. It's almost unnatural…'_ Shizune nervously thought before scoffing indignantly and boosting her pace. He easily kept up with her.

Maybe it was the atmosphere around them. Maybe it was the fact that he was the first male she had talked to one-on-one for ages. Maybe it was the scenery, with the moon shining brightly down at them and the stars watching them carefully. Whatever it was, she didn't know, but she suddenly didn't want this walk to end. She could see her apartment coming into view, so she naturally slowed down her pace and lowered her eyes to the ground.

"How come you aren't with Orochimaru at the moment?" she suddenly asked to break the silence. An alarming thought suddenly made her straighten her back with worry. "He isn't around, is he?"

"Rest assured, he isn't. I left a while because I wanted to and he won't know a thing about it. Everyone has their secrets, remember?"

"Aren't you worried? I mean, without his assistant nearby—" she stopped, realizing how stupid she probably would sound if she finished her sentence with 'he might do something stupid'.

Yet Kabuto read right into her mind and said, "I know the feeling. But he is a grown man. As much as our situations are the same, Shizune, they're completely different. I'm Lord Orochimaru's assistant, not his parent. You act more like a mother to Tsunade, don't you?"

Shizune nodded solemnly, remembering her thoughts earlier that evening. She couldn't quite imagine Orochimaru going to drink like crazy in bars while Kabuto stood by and watched. It was rather disconcerting to imagine, actually…

They finally stopped in front of her apartment, where Shizune unlocked the door slowly while Kabuto examined her. She hesitated obviously, her hands on the doorknob as she pushed the door open. She shouldn't do this. This was wrong… so wrong…

"Gladly," was his answer before they both locked themselves in her tiny apartment.

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A/N: So chapter one is done. Not bad, it took me two days… 

Review, tell me what you think! No reviewers can ask me if it's done because it isn't. Read the note above—This will be a threeshot probably.

Take care!


	2. One Step Farther

Disclaimer: That I –cough- forgot to write in chapter one. No, I do not own anyone in this fic...

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Chapter Two: One Step Farther

The apartment was dark, almost gloomy. Shizune allowed Kabuto to enter before her, then carefully locked the door behind them with the double bolts. Usually, only one was put into place for security's sake, but the Hokage's assistant found a sudden comfort in knowing she was bolted in with one lock and two latches. 

Kabuto entered the kitchen from the tiny lobby and sat down on a chair in total darkness besides from the window. Shizune, though, crossed the room quickly and closed the blinds before carefully turning on the lamp. She cringed when the light flooded across them, now turning Kabuto's shady figure into a concrete vision.

She. Was. So. Dead.

For the thousandth time that night, Shizune told herself that this was a mistake. Once again, though, she shook her head to clear it and repeated in her mind that she could do whatever she wanted. It was true that keeping a missing nin in her home during the night could hardly qualify as being an intelligent thing to do, though...

Her thoughts were cut short by Kabuto's deep voice as he asked, "Hey, Shizune, do you have anything to drink around here?"

Sighing, she nodded meekly before answering, "I only have water. I don't keep anything else since I eat out most of the time."

Kabuto only rolled his eyes and repeated his question slowly, hoping she'd catch the significance of his demand.

This time Shizune stood up fully and crossed the room. _'I can't believe this…'_ Opening a specific cupboard, she pulled out a bottle of expensive sake and walked back to the table. Meanwhile, her guest had produced two medium-sized glasses from her cupboard and had placed them upon the table.

After pouring the small bottle evenly into both glasses, Kabuto smirked lightly and raised his glass in a mocked toast. "Cheers," he spoke quietly, taking in a long drink.

_'Everyone has their secrets…'_

Another sigh escaped her lips before the Hokage's assistant brought the glass to her own lips. The burning liquid scorched her throat, which made her cough after she hastily swallowed.

"Good stuff," Kabuto complimented, seeing her gasp slightly to fill her lungs with air.

"It's not mine," she answered, her breathing returning to normal. "It's actually Tsunade's, though she left it at my house one night. I never returned it to her."

Kabuto didn't answer and she didn't offer any more explanation. They stayed in comfortable silence for a while, both of their eyes roaming across the room.

Suddenly, shouted dialogues from outside made Shizune literally jump out of her chair.

"Oh my goodness!"

A laugh was emitted just outside her window. "You found us!"

"Don't ever try to play hide and seek in the dark! Now let's go home!"

The sound of children giggling was heard as their mother ushered them away drifted inside as Shizune sunk back down on her chair. Her heart was hammering frantically in her chest and her breathing had gotten shallow, signs of intense fear.

She then realized that Kabuto was laughing. The light caught on his glasses as he spoke, "Someone's nervous tonight."

"Oh, shut up!" she retorted, brushing her hair away from her face anxiously. It wasn't unusual for children to play around her apartment. She didn't really mind as long as they didn't break anything, but right now it wasn't all that convenient to have tiny spies going around her domicile. "You'd be nervous too if this would be happening in your house!"

The teasing smile remained on his face as he squarely looked at her without wavering. She found his perceptive stare to be rather intimidating, but at the same time she wondered why he looked so intent on studying her. Taking in another long drink of sake, she raised her eyes and locked them into his.

Finally, to break the silence that was building up, Shizune leaned back in her chair and broke the eye contact as she said, "Where will you go tonight?"

"After you kick me out?" he asked with a small snicker.

_'Don't you dare try to change the conversation, Kabuto…'_

"Yes, after I'll kick you out. Where will you go?" she retorted.

He allowed himself to sigh as he changed his carefree façade into an emotionless one. Emotionless until she saw a hint of resentment crossing his eyes, though she couldn't follow it because he angled his head to make his glasses glint.

Kami, it pissed her off when he did that. It was almost as if his glasses were used to piss people off rather than to see well.

As if to break her line of thoughts, he said quietly, "I guess I'll go sleep outside for a while. Then I'll return to Orochimaru."

Lowering her eyes, Shizune nodded absentmindedly. For some reason, she had slightly hoped that he would say that he'd stay in Konoha. Then again, those were rather stupid illusions. It was like if someone was to hope she'd abandon Tsunade, which would never happen.

_'Well… not completely anyways…'_ Shizune thought guiltily, looking towards the curtained window in desolation.

Then her whole line of thinking changed as she heard Kabuto shift forward, his chair now directly beside hers. Reaching over, he whispered softly while brushing her hair behind her ear, "Calm down. We won't get caught."

Shizune looked at him, realizing how… close he was. Very close. Too close. She knew that only a mere inch separated their hands from touching. She knew that he was looking at her up and down with a small, yet adorable smirk gracing his features. She knew that he wanted it, just like she wanted it also.

Kabuto made the first move. He leaned over and softly pressed his lips upon hers for a fraction of a second, then pulled back slightly to let her consider his actions. But for Shizune, it was the last thing on her mind: she had stopped thinking.

Emboldened slightly by the alcohol, she leaned over and locked him into a second, deeper kiss. For one single moment, Shizune forgot everything. All the guilt, the suffering, the pain, the exertion… she forgot about it. She forgot about Tsunade, about her duties, about the village. All she could focus on was Kabuto.

_'Everyone has their secrets…' _

Secrets…

Pulling away, Shizune felt herself start to tremble. Her mind kept repeating it was wrong to have secrets, that she was betraying her village. Yet her heart tugged towards freedom, towards him.

"What now?" she asked in a soft breath, unsure of what this meant to him. "You'll leave later tonight, won't you?"

"Later tonight," he repeated, accentuating the word 'later', "and I will be back as soon as I can. You are a very comforting presence, Shizune."

The Hokage's assistant smiled softly at both his comment and at the irony of her current situation. Here she was, sitting with her supposedly mortal enemy, drinking sake and kissing him. Despite her fears, she couldn't deny the fact that he was definitely a handsome man. _'Loyalty and Lady Tsunade, or secrecy and Kabuto…?'_

She suddenly felt his hand running behind her neck, sending shivers down her spine. Leaning over, he whispered huskily in her ear, "How about we stop talking? Then we'd have even less chances to get caught…"

Shizune agreed without a second thought before leaning over to kiss him again. Not a single time that night did she ask herself to chose betweem Kabuto and Tsunade.

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The next morning came by way too quickly. Cracking her eyes open, Shizune yawned and turned around in her small bed before being violently attacked by a headache. Growling slightly at the taste of sandpaper in her mouth, she sat up while struggling with the messy covers to look around the room. _'What the heck did I do last night?'_

Her blood froze. Kabuto.

Ignoring the fuzzy feeling in her head, she jumped away from her mattress and stumbled into the kitchen. The sake bottle was still on the table, along with a single glass. The matching one had been washed and placed away. His shoes were gone and the dirt had been swept from the floor. Her curtains were raised and the windows had been opened a crack. He was gone.

_'No traces of him…'_ she smiled to herself despite the pain in her head. He had promised her, just before she had fallen asleep in his arms, that they'd never get discovered unless they wanted to. He was right.

Raising her eyes, she dreamingly allowed them to trace the room until they rested on a much less pleasant thing: her clock.

"Kami! I'm late!" Shizune suddenly groaned before rushing in her bedroom. Taking off her rumpled clothing, she threw on fresh ones before brushing her hair quickly and making sure she looked presentable.

Less than ten minutes later, she was at the Hokage Tower. Being two hours after her usual arrival time would surely arise suspicion. Creeping around the tower, she sighed with relief as she entered Tsunade's office to find the lady missing.

"Good morning," she said softly, her eyes sweeping over her assistant's look. "Rough night?"

Squirming slightly, Shizune shrugged and ran a hand through her hair self-consciously. Thankfully, the Hokage didn't pursue the matter and went to pick up some papers before heading out of the door again. A slight, curious look had flittered through her eyes, but she had chosen not to intrude.

A second sigh of relief left Shizune's throat as she slumped down on a chair and closed her eyes. She allowed a few seconds to pass by before her lips curled into a smile. A hidden relationship would be hard, but manageable if they were careful. After all…

Everyone has their secrets. From that day on, hers would bear the name of Yakushi Kabuto.

The end


End file.
